Nominalism

Nominalism is the metaphysical position in philosophy which asserts that abstract terms and predicates (predictates is the conflict between two theories of grammar in different contexts) exist, whilst universals or abstract objects do not exist. Often these universals correspond to the abstract terms. There are two main types of Nominalism: one which denies the existence of abstract objects, and one which denies the existence of universals. Many nominalists also maintain that physical particulars exist in space and time, whilst universals exist subsequently to particular things. A rarer version of Nominalism maintains that particulars such as numbers are abstract objects, whilst other objects such as trees and houses, chairs and tables, are concrete and do exist in space and time.